Amy S. Rosenberg

The enormous electronic Billboard along the Margate bridge causeway that has been vexing the citizens of Northfield, Margate and everyone who drives in between had its day in court recently and lost. For obscure reasons, the causeway is within the meandering boundaries of Egg Harbor Township - that sprawling casino bedroom community whose own mayor admitted to the Press of Atlantic City recently that he could no longer afford its taxes. The EHT planning board gave the billboard a green light and left it to flash on and off every eight seconds so it could cast shadows on the bedroom wall of Dr. Ric Levitt, who lives on the bayfront on the Northfield side and sued.

Last week, Superior Court Judge Julio L. Mendez issued a 37-page opinion that sent the billboard matter back to the township, this time to the Zoning Board, which he said should have been the one to rule on the matter in the first place, since it is a use currently prohibited in a marine/commercial zone.

The billboard, erected in May, has been dark since June pending the legal action. It sits along a particularly picturesque stretch of causeway with osprey nests, old boat risers that look like Jesus's cross being carried, a few wooden billboards and long stretches of marshalnd. If only they allowed bicycles on the Margate bridge!

Jacqueline L. Urgo

POSTED: Friday, August 16, 2013, 3:33 PM

Don’t let the cooler than usual weather fool you — there’s still plenty of summer left at the New Jersey Shore. And plenty of places where you and your family can connect with nature and wildlife before most of the birds and sea creatures migrate to warmer climates for the winter.

One of my favorite spots for this is the Nature Center of Cape May, at 1600 Delaware Avenue, Cape May. Run by the New Jersey Audubon, the place sits right on the Cape May Harbor and has a terrific view.

But the fabulous programming at this all-weather facility is the really cool thing. A lot of what they have is free, including an observation tower, an indoor lounge area, art exhibits, a nature store, touch tanks and aquariums, a children’s play area, and a discovery garden. It’s not a big place, but there’s a lot packed into it.

Inquirer staff writer Amy S. Rosenberg has covered Philly police, city neighborhoods, Ed Rendell as mayor, the Jersey shore, Atlantic City, Miss America and the psychology of Eagles fans. She moved to Ventnor on July 3, 1995, which makes her a local, but not really.

Inquirer Staff Writer Jacqueline L. Urgo has spent every summer of her life at the Jersey Shore, and has lived there year-round for nearly 30 years, even fulfilling one of her bucket list dreams by once living in a house by the sea.

Since 1990, she has covered the waterfront for The Inquirer — from the Atlantic to the Delaware Bay shore — and some of the mainland in between. Along the way, she amassed an encyclopedic knowledge of this tear-it-down-and-build-it-back-up region, delving into the history and the hype of a place with a lot of unexpected stories to tell.